How do I turn my telly into a computer?

[Deleted User]

Do you need a computer, or just web access? If it's just web access.. how about a Nintendo Wii? It plays BBC iPlayer very nicely and you can even plug in a wireless keyboard

Buy a Scart socket splitter like this one: http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=394375

culpepper

you can get universal laptop power supplies from somewhere like maplins. They have various ends and you choose the one that fits the laptop. You could always take the laptop into the store and they would advise which type would be suitable.
It might work out cheaper than all the little bits and pieces to get the web on the TV at the end of the day and would make your laptop useable at the same time for the kids to use for school work when they are bigger.

mitchb

Acer revo is very popular on a tech forum i frequent.

Meets all ur requirements and is under £200

jmc160

Do you already have a computer on the network?
What OS does it have?

Your easiest option, if your Pc has the right OS, could be to spend your money on an Xbox 360 and use it as a Media Extender.

If your PC has a newer edition of Windows (either Vista or 7), then it may have come with Windows Media Centre included. The Xbox 360 is natively capable of connecting to a Media Centre PC and extending the entire user interface to another the TV ormonitor it's conected to. You could then either install a TV card into your PC and set up the Media Centre TV signal, or install soomething like a TVCatchup addon (requires free registration) and watch live TVonline via that method.

You'll also find if you directly connect a computer to a your CRT TV that has Media Centre bundled in, then Media Centre is capale of adjusting the resolution to something very easily watchable, so the screen is less of a worry if you go down this route.

And yes, you can get SCART adapter to turn one socket into 2,3 or even 5 I believe

EDIT: +1 for the Acer Revo as another option - very good devices.